Method for releasing a deployable boom

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a method of deploying an extensible boom from a housing. Sheets supporting respective arrays of photovoltaic devices are deployed substantially simultaneously so that a first sheet is deployed in a first direction from the housing and a second sheet is deployed in an opposite direction from the housing. Angular momentum imparted by deploying the first sheet is canceled by angular momentum imparted by deploying the second sheet. The housing can be part of a space satellite, such that the first and second sheets are deployed without causing the satellite to move out of its orbit.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 001,962, filed Jan. 20, 2016, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 921,238, filed Oct. 23, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 068,501 filed Oct. 24, 2014. The disclosures of the earlier applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.[0002]This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 546,958, filed Nov. 18, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,004,410; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 658,043, filed Mar. 13, 2015 now U.S. Pat. No. 9,079,673.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE1. Field of the Disclosure[0003]The present disclosure relates to deployable booms associated with vehicles or permanent structures, the booms being structured components, or assemblies including, in some embodiments, transducers for collecting or emitting electromagnetic energy.2. Description o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent text describes a way to make a strong, flexible sheet for use in space vehicles. The sheet is made up of layers of graphite fiber that are pre-impregnated with resin to give it uniform strength and flexibility. The sheet has a high strength and stiffness, with a natural frequency greater than 0.01 Hz. By deploying the sheets simultaneously in opposite directions, the resulting net force on the space vehicle is nearly zero, ensuring it remains in its current position. This allows multiple sheets to support transducer assemblies without causing the space vehicle to move out of its current orbit.

Problems solved by technology

The common approach has limitations in how compactly the arrays can be packaged, because of the inherent volume and inflexibility of the rigid panels that are used as mounting substrates for the photovoltaic assemblies.

Such flexible membrane solar arrays with discrete and separate super-structures are limited in the shielding provided to the backside of the solar array after deployment, and by the complexity of deploying such an array with tensioning interfaces between the deployable boom and the nonstructural solar array blanket.

Although there is a desire to provide power for CubeSats from solar panels, the known methods of providing solar arrays described above are difficult or impossible to apply to CubeSats because of the small size of the CubeSat and the limited space available on the CubeSat.

An additional problem relates to keeping a satellite in a particular orbit.

Various forces may interfere with the satellite and can cause a satellite's orbit to change in an unintended manner.

This problem, particularly in the context of booms that include transducers for collecting or emitting electromagnetic energy, has not been adequately addressed by prior techniques.

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